The Environment Agency is installing around 700 trail cameras in areas where people don't typically go to study where animals might appear by chance. Both humans and bears know how to pose for the camera.

"One little bear cub from this year decided it wanted to climb on top of the camera. The last clear photos are of the cub itself. After it climbed onto the camera, the next shots were of its little backside," said Christel Rose Bachmann, senior specialist at the Environment Agency.

Both the agency and hunters confirm that there are many bears in Estonia.

"There are a lot of bears. Among the Baltic states, Estonia is definitely one of the leading countries in terms of bear numbers," Bachmann added.

According to hunters, the bear population has grown from 1,531 in 2022 to 1,920 today, the Estonian Hunters' Society said. However, no studies have been done in Estonia to determine the size of the area a bear typically roams.

"Hunting districts count the bears they see within their territories, and obviously, these bears move across one to ten different districts. So they're clearly being counted multiple times," said Priit Vahtramäe, a board member of the Estonian Hunters' Society.

In 2000, hunters estimated the bear population to be around 1,000.

"The Environmental Agency ultimately agreed with that figure, and since we've hunted fewer bears each year than are born, that means the population has increased — and continues to increase. You could basically say there are at least 1,100 bears in Estonia today," Vahtramäe said.

The Environmental Agency counts bear litters with cubs under one year of age each year. To estimate the total population, the number of litters is multiplied by ten.

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